Tried to flee but hit dumper, say eyewitnesses as Audi driver mows down 5 sleeping on Delhi footpath

New Delhi, July 13 (IANS) In a horrifying incident in Delhi's Vasant Vihar area, five people, including two couples and an eight-year-old girl, were injured after a white Audi car allegedly ran over them while they were asleep on the footpath near Shiva Camp around 1.45 a.m. on July 9.

Eyewitnesses on Sunday said that the driver, later identified as Utsav Shekhar (40), was drunk at the time and tried to escape before ramming into a dumper parked ahead.

The victims -- Ladhi (40), her husband Sabami alias Chirma (45), their eight-year-old daughter Bimla, and another couple Ram Chander (45) and his wife Narayani (35) -- are all migrants from Rajasthan living in the area for the past 15-20 years and were reportedly sleeping in front of Shiva Camp when the speeding car drove over them.

According to eyewitnesses, the impact left the victims crying for help, and chaos ensued on the scene.

"My son came running and asked me to come out. We saw the car had driven over people sleeping on the footpath, including children. The driver was drunk. After the accident, he tried to flee but hit a dumper parked ahead," a witness told IANS.

Another eyewitness added, "The driver came out, appeared shocked, and said he would help the injured. But when he tried to flee again, the car hit a vehicle and stopped. Police were called, and they detained the driver on the spot."

By the time police arrived, the injured had already been shifted to nearby hospitals by local residents.

The accused, Utsav Shekhar, a resident of Dwarka, was medically examined and found to be under the influence of alcohol.

Confirming the incident, a police officer stated that legal action has been initiated against Shekhar.

Further investigations are underway, and details are awaited.

--IANS

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